1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processor and an information processing method as well as a broadcasting system and a broadcasting method and more particularly to an information processor and an information processing method as well as a broadcasting system and a broadcasting method which allow to effectively utilize guide information such as EPG (electronic program guide) for guiding broadcasting programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
The multi-channelization of broadcasting is in progress in the US in the field of cable television (CATV) and Digital Satellite System (DSS) (Trade Mark of Hughes Communications Inc.) through the application of the high efficient coding technology such as the MPEG (moving picture experts group) code lately. Along with the multi-channelization, a number of channels has increased up to 150 to 200, so that it is not easy to find a desired program out of them. That is, when there are a large number of channels as described above, leaving a case when there are a few number of channels, an user cannot but feel cumbersome when the user finds that a selected channel is not desired one after actually confirming its program and is obliged to select another channel.
Then, EPG (guide information) for giving a guide on programs and the like are broadcasted today so that the user can recognize the contents of a program and select one readily.
It is noted that the multi-channelization is in progress also in Japan lately owing to the relaxation of regulations and the like. That is, various digital broadcasting services have come to be started.
By the way, data (EPG data) composing the EPG has been composed of the title of a program, its genre, broadcasting starting and ending times and a text (character string) explaining its contents (hereinafter referred to as a description text as necessary) and has been transmitted in a format that allows to discriminate them.
Accordingly, it has been possible to display a list of titles of programs of a certain genre together with their broadcasting starting and ending times and to display the description text of a program when the user selects the title of the program on the receiver side.
By the way, information on the summary of the story of a program, the cast, a viewing age group, a scenario writer, a director and others is described in the description text as shown in FIG. 1 for example. However, the description text is displayed uniformly, so to speak, on the receiver side in general regardless of the contents thereof. That is, when the description text composing the EPG data is what is shown in FIG. 1 for example, the description text is displayed as shown in FIG. 2 on the receiver side. As it is apparent from FIG. 2, it is not easy to understand the contents, what is described where, at first sight in the description text uniformly displayed, so that when the user wants to know the director for example, the user has to read the description text orderly from the top line and cannot but feel cumbersome. Further, even if the broadcasting station side describes that the movie makes the most use of the latest CG and SFX in the description text to appeal that to the user, it has been difficult to let the user to notice on the display part of "the latest CG and SFX" and to appeal that by the description text displayed uniformly as shown in FIG. 2.
Meanwhile, there is also a case when the user wants to retrieve a program in which his/her favorite player appears. In such a case, however, the user must judge whether or not the favorite player appears in the program by displaying and reading the description text of each program as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, it has been also cumbersome.
Then, it is conceivable to establish a method of searching the program in which the favorite player appears by letting the user to input the name of the favorite player and by retrieving a character string coincident with that name from the description text.
However, it requires the user to input the name of the favorite player in such a case and the user who is unaccustomed to such character inputting operation cannot but feel cumbersome. Further, the retrieval of the character string coincident with the name of the player must be performed on the whole description text in such a case. Accordingly, when there exists EPG data of a large number of programs, it takes an enormous amount of time for the processing because the retrieval has to be performed on the whole description texts of all of the programs.